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Flick’s Suspension and Defensive Woes Leave Barcelona Chasing La Liga’s Top Spot
No Flick, No Chance?
Barcelona has been struggling in La Liga as of late and frustrations boiled over when Hansi Flick was suspended after a shouting fit during their match against Betis back in December. Flick was arguing with a referee over a penalty decision and stepped out of the technical area. Flick continued to argue and yell even after being shown a red card by the ref, resulting in a two-match suspension.
Barcelona unsuccessfully appealed the decision, and losing Flick for a big match against Atletico Madrid, a top competitor at the top of the table in the La Liga standings, was not ideal. Barcelona ended up losing the match 2-1 and has an even further uphill climb to get back on top of the table.
Barcelona’s Struggles
Flick’s anger was likely a result of Barcelona’s recent form, as they have dropped in the La Liga standings with poor performance in December. Barcelona had a hot start to match play in La Liga at the beginning of the season, but their recent performance has now placed them in third place behind Atletico Madrid and Real Madrid. Barcelona has dropped three of their last five matches with only one win in their previous five fixtures heading into the new year.
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Barcelona is now behind Real Madrid in the standings, a club that has had their number over the years. Real Madrid has beaten Barcelona the most out of any other football club with 105 wins over Barcelona. Barcelona has beaten Real Madrid 101 times, with 52 draws as well. Amidst Marcelona’s struggles, they have time to improve before they meet with their rivals again in May of 2025.
Hope for Barcelona
The good news for Barcelona is there is still a lot of time left in the La Liga season, and they are only three points behind Atletico Madrid at the beginning of January. In the La Liga betting market, Barcelona is +200 to win La Liga in 2025. That is the second-lowest odds behind Real Madrid, who are the -110 favorites to win La Liga.
Barcelona’s offense has kept them near the top so far. Barcelona is first in La Liga with 51 goals forced. Real Madrid is second with 41 goals forced. However, Barcelona’s defense has been subpar and has been the main struggle of the team in recent fixtures, causing the December slump.
However, even after a rough month, Barcelona has many matches against teams at the bottom of the La Liga standings coming up, giving them a path to take the top of the table back from Atletico Madrid. The La Liga prediction markets still have Barcelona at decent odds to win La Liga, and if their explosive offense can continue to produce the most goals in the league, they can win La Liga in 2025.
